Preparing Recyclables

Light Blue

Preparing Recyclables

The better we are at preparing our recyclables and only putting clean, accepted material in our blue carts, the more successful our curbside program will be. Help us collect high-quality material that is free of contamination by following these guidelines.

Accepted Material	Accepted Material	<div class="ExternalClass5040E8DCD34E4A3FBD983E97B64B12EE"><p>There are lots of things that can go in your blue cart but there are also some things that need to be left out. Check out the section about <a href="/Pages/your-blue-bin.aspx">your blue cart</a> for more information on what's in and what's out. <br></p></div>
Keep it clean	Keep it clean	<div class="ExternalClass00BA4EB6467B4B8194C43AFFE1A2EFC6"><p>Before anything goes in your blue cart, please make sure it is clean of food and residue. A quick rinse or a cycle through your dishwasher for greasy or sticky items should do the trick. Pizza boxes should be clean of any grease or food and things like peanut butter and oil containers will need to be cleaned with soap and water to remove residue. <br></p></div>
Labels and Lids	Labels and Lids	<div class="ExternalClassEC72EDEDA76E4B4BA6FB1770FBF547D6"><p>No need to waste time taking off labels from cans and plastic jugs. These can easily go through the recycling process so feel free to leave them on. Likewise, lids are also OK to remain on containers as long as they are made of the same material. <a href="/Pages/LabelsLids.aspx">Learn more.</a><br></p></div>
Size	Size	<div class="ExternalClass22FC67E195BD4BA1A3C021AB15797AB8"><p>Any material smaller than the palm of your hand or about the size of your fist, is typically too small to make it through the sorting process. These items should be placed in your black cart instead. <br></p></div>
Wish-cycling	Wish-cycling	<div class="ExternalClass556CBC53F8CE4556BDA89D5C3E1A7005"><p><span style="color:#333333;font-size:14px;background-color:#ffffff;">Wish-cycling is the </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;font-size:12pt;font-family:calibri, sans-serif;">practice of tossing questionable items in the recycling bin, hoping they can be recycled. As much as we all want to reduce waste and recycle as much as we can, wish-cycling is a real threat to the success of our curbside recycling program. <a href="/Pages/Wish_Cycling.aspx">Learn more. </a></span><br></p></div>

Still not sure what's in or out? Ask the Waste Wizard

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